The Album of a Lifetime
by raven-flighton
Summary: Blaine comes back to New York, on tour with his beand the Eternal Believers. There he sees Kurt who is now married but Blaine is still in love with him. Partly inspired by The One That Got Away Katy Perry and Klaine's awesomeness. R and R.
1. Home Again

**Author Note: I know this one is a bit weird but I was watching this show and thought, what if Kurt was married? Then I thought and what if Blaine was a rock star? I'm also crediting Blaine's band and Kurt with writing some songs they most certainly didn't write. There are St Berry references, you have been warned! So, please don't kill me for going a bit mad, R and R.**

**Chapter One**

**Home Again**

"New York City," Puck slapped Blaine on the back and laughed "We're back baby."

Rolling his eyes, the small boy turned to Santana "Happy to be back Lopez?"

"Working it, Warbler, working it," she replied, being the only one of them with a spouse, she was forever glued to her blackberry so she barely glanced up as they walked through the airport. There were five of them in the international rock sensation: The Eternal Believers. They were Blaine Anderson, Charlie Briggs, Carolyn Lindsey, Noah Puckerman and Santana Lopez-Piers. Yep, over the last few years they had climbed right to the top of the show business ladder, they were the biggest thing to happen to rock music that century.

With a yawn, Charlie flung an arm around Carolyn "How's Brit, Santana?"

"She's great, thanks," the Latina replied, un-phased by the flash of the cameras which were starting to come at them from all sides.

Smiling, Blaine looked round at the others "How's about we give the press something to photograph?"

"I like the sound of that," Carolyn grinned, pulling a pair of drumsticks from her back pockets and tapping out a rhythm.

Puck had already whipped out his guitar and was strumming out some chords while Charlie had set up a keyboard and was playing his part. With a wink at Santana, Blaine rushed to take the centre stage "_You could have a change of heart,_

_If you would only change your mind  
>Instead of slamming down the phone girl,<em>

_For the hundredth time  
>I got your number on my wall,<em>

_But I ain't gonna make that call  
>When divided we stand baby,<em>

_United we fall_."  
>With Puck in the back-up, Santana tucked her phone in her pocket to stand at Blaine's side "<em>Got the time got a chance gonna make it<br>Got my hands on your heart gonna take it  
>All I know I can't fight this flame<br>You could have a change of heart,_

_If you would only change your mind  
>Cause I'm crazy 'bout you baby,<em>

_Time after time._"  
>The two of them danced together, keeping it slow but intimate "<em>Without you<br>One night alone Is like a year without you baby  
>Do you have a heart of stone<br>Without you  
>Can't stop the hurt inside<br>When love and hate collide._"  
>"<em>I don't wanna fight no more<em>," Santana appealed, looking as though she might actually cry as she paced away from Blaine "_I don't know what we're fighting for  
>When we treat each other baby,<em>

_Like an act of war_."  
>Trying not to let his mind wander back to the night he had left Kurt and how similar Kurt's expression had been to Santana's now, Blaine followed her "<em>I could tell a million lies and<em>

_It would come as no surprise  
>When the truth is like a stranger,<em>

_Hits you right between the eyes_."  
>"<em>There's a time and a place and a reason,<em>" Santana walked a circle round Puck as she sang "_And I know I got a love to believe in  
>All I know got to win this time...<em>"

Blaine pulled Santana into his arms and the two of them sang to each other again "_Without you  
>One night alone Is like a year without you baby<br>Do you have a heart of stone  
>Without you<br>Can't stop the hurt inside  
>When love and hate collide.<em>"  
>"<em>You could have a change of heart,<em>" he took her hands and held them over his heart "_If you would only change your mind._"  
>Shaking her head and avoiding his gaze, she sang "<em>Cause I'm crazy 'bout you baby...Crazy...Crazy!<em>" She pushed him away and strutted away.  
>"<em>Without you,<em>" he followed her on his knees "_One night alone  
>Is like a year without you baby<br>Do you have a heart of stone?_"  
>Turning round to belt back at him, she gestured wildly "<em>Without you<br>One night alone  
>Is like a year without you baby<br>If you have a heart at all!_"  
>"<em>Without you,<em>" Blaine climbed to his feet and took her hands as they finished "_Can't stop the hurt inside  
>When love and hate collide.<em>" As they finished, everyone watching went wild and the band turned to them for a bow.

Charlie laughed "And that is how you wow a crowd."

"We have to stop these impromptu performances," Puck commented as he packed his guitar away.

Faking a smile, through thoughts of Kurt, Blaine shrugged "What can I say, I'm a Warbler, it's in my blood."

The streets of New York were a dangerous place when you were a celebrity but Blaine was very good at not looking like a celebrity so he could pass by without much fan harassment. As he passed a theatre with the name "Rachel Berry" written in lights above the door, he stopped and smiled. Beside him, someone sighed "That's my wife."

Blaine glanced up "Jesse? Jesse St James?"

"The one and only..." he trailed off, raising his eyebrows "Blaine Anderson?"

Smiling nervously, Blaine nodded "Not so loud though, you have no idea what happens when someone realises it's me."

"Yeah, Rachel has the same problem," Jesse nodded "Bloody hell, I haven't seen you in years."

With a chuckle, Blaine nodded back "Yeah, I know, how's Rachel doing?"

"What, apart from staring in a Broadway musical?" he laughed "She's fine, Kurt's been a god send for her, you know, what with him writing musicals just for her."

Slowly, Blaine smiled, he'd forgotten that Kurt was one of the biggest writers on Broadway right now, it made sense that he'd be writing for Rachel "How is Kurt?"

"Fine," Jesse shrugged "I don't know much actually, Rachel's the one he's close to, not me but, from what I've heard, him and David are very happy."

In his pocket, Blaine's phone buzzed, absent-mindedly, he mumbled "Carolyn."

"You should probably get back, right?" Jesse asked.

Swallowing, he sighed "It's been nice seeing you, send Rachel my love."

"And Kurt?" Jesse's tentative voice stopped Blaine as he was leaving.

With a shaky breath, Blaine turned back "There's no need to mention me."

"Understood."

**Author Note: At the end of every chapter I'm going to list the songs therein and their original artists. In this chapter we have...**

**When Love And Hate Collide by Def Leopard.**


	2. Why Am I Here

**Author Note: This is set at an Eternal Believers Concert. I don't have much to say about this chapter. Enjoy! R and R.**

**Chapter Two**

**Why Am I Here?**

"_Well Sometimes I Go Out, By Myself,_" Santana was putting on one hell of a performance "_And I Look Across The Water._" Blaine grinned as he danced with her, playing the base line in time with Puck's lead guitar. Practically going mad with the music, Carolyn was putting on a fantastic show with Charlie mirroring her from the other side of the stage. Winking at him as she strutted by, Santana continued "_And I Think Of All The Things,_

_Of What You're Doing,_

_And in my head I Paint A Picture.  
>Since I've Come Home,<em>

_Well My Body's Been A Mess,_

_And I Miss Your ginger Hair,_

_And The Way You Like To Dress._" The dancers took the stage with her as she rocked her solo "_Oh Wont You Come On Over,_

_Stop Making A Fool Out Of Me,_

_Why Don't You Come On Over, Valerie..."  
><em>All of them sang along now "_Valerie  
>Valerie<br>Valerie._"

"_Did You Have To Go To Jail,_" Santana pulled Blaine towards her by his shirt "_Put Your House Out Up For Sale, Did You Get A Good Lawyer?  
>I Hope You Didn't Catch A Tan,<em>

_I Hope You Find The Right Man,_

_Who'll Fix It For You.  
>Are You Shopping Anywhere,<em>

_Change The Colour Of Your Hair,_

_And Are You Busy?_" She let go of him to run to the front of the stage "_Did You Have To Pay That Fine,_

_That You Were Dodging All The Time,_

_Are You Still Dizzy.  
>Well Since I Come Home,<em>

_Well My Body's Been A Mess,_

_And I Miss Your Tender Hair,_

_And The Way You Like To Dress._" Stopping for a minute, Santana shouted "Everybody sing now!"

And the stadium rang with a million voices, led by one single Latina "_Oh Wont You Come On Over,_

_Stop Making A Fool Out Of Me,_

_Oh Why Dont You Come On Over,_

_Valerie.  
>Valerie<br>Valerie  
>Valerie.<em>"

As she held up a single hand, they all stopped, including the band "_Well Sometimes I Go Out,_

_By Myself,_

_And I Look Across The Water.  
>And I Think Of All The Things,<em>

_What You're Doing,_

_And In My Head I Paint A Picture._" The applause mounted and Santana laughed to herself as the band started up again "_Since I've Come Home,_

_Well My Body's Been A Mess,_

_And I Miss Your Tender Hair,_

_And The Way You Like To Dress.  
>Valerie<br>Valerie  
>Valerie<br>Valerie  
>Valerie<br>Valerie  
>Valerie<br>Valerie  
>Why Don't You Come On Over Valerie...<em>"

With that, Blaine stepped to the front to cry "That's all from us, you've been a great audience! Give it up for Puck on lead guitar!"

"Goodbye New York!" shouted Puck, waving his guitar.

Grinning, Blaine screamed over the applause "Carolyn on Drums!"

"See ya New York!" Carolyn shouted in the New York accent she'd been perfecting for months.

Proudly, he called "Charlie on keys." Without a word, Charlie just played a piano chorus to Empire State of Mind.

Just as Blaine was about to introduce her, Santana pushed forward "I need no intro Warbler. Goodbye New York!"

"I'm Blaine and we are The Eternal Believers! Thank you and goodnight!" he rushed off stage, followed by the band and the lights went down.

Backstage was pretty wild as it always was just after a performance had finished, with all the adrenaline still running faster than light and security still on a high. The others went to sign autographs at the stage door but Blaine backed out to his dressing room. Shaking the hype from his head, he swung open the door and paced into the room without really looking round.

"Hello Blaine."

"Jesus!" he spun round, stumbling back against the dressing table as his eyes settled on the tall man before him. All porcelain skin and bright blue eyes with perfectly coordinated clothes. Wide-eyed, Blaine stuttered "K-Kurt!"

With a cautious smile, Kurt breathed "Well done, you remembered my name."

"What are you doing here?" Blaine could feel a million feelings that had been building up inside him over the last few years begin to surface once again.

His smile faded then "That's a very good question, what am I doing here? I'm Kurt Hummel, I'm married, I have a brilliant career so why am I here?" Blaine wasn't exactly sure where Kurt was going with this but it didn't really matter because there were tears in the counter-tenor's blue eyes.

"Kurt? What's wrong?" Blaine came to sit opposite his ex-boyfriend.

Shaking his head, Kurt broke down "I don't even know. I had an argument with David and... oh hell."

"What did you argue about?" Blaine resisted the urge to wipe the elder boy's tears away and just handed him a tissue instead.

Delicately, Kurt wiped away the tears "We argue about everything... money, what shows he's going to work on. I should of known. I married David Walker, for god's sake, of course he wasn't gonna have much time for me."

"He should make time," Blaine heard himself saying the words before he registered them.

Kurt's head snapped up and he jumped to his feet "What am I doing? I love David... I thought I loved David... oh god."

"Kurt, stop," Blaine stood too, grabbing Kurt's hand on instinct "Just sit down and breathe, okay?" Without saying anything, Kurt stared at their clasped hands. Following Kurt's gaze, Blaine pulled away "I'm sorry, force of habit."

The light in Kurt's eyes twinkled for a second, then disappeared again "He's leaving me."

"He's what?" Blaine spat, desperately wanting to hold the boy in his arms.

Shrugging, Kurt repeated "He's leaving me, at least that's what he said. He says it a lot but this time... I think he means it."

"Then he's an idiot," Blaine said plainly before rubbing the back of his neck "The same idiot I was, ten years ago."

One eyebrow raised, Kurt breathed "Is it really ten years?" He did some quick sums in his head and then dropped his gaze "I think I lost one of them to grief though, after I lost you."

"Don't talk like that," he groaned, marching to the window "It makes me think of how stupid I was, how I couldn't see what was right in front of me."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you listen to my music?"

"Yeah, Blaine, after you left I would've done anything to hear your voice. The Eternal Believers were as close as I could get."

Closing his eyes, Blaine sang "I_'m so glad you made time to see me  
>How's life? Tell me, how's your family?<br>I haven't seen them in a while..._"

"You wrote that about me?" Kurt gasped "Oh Blaine."

Blaine turned to look at the boy he had never stopped loving "Don't do anything you'll regret, Kurt."

"I better get back to David," he nodded, in response, but before he left he walked over to Blaine and lightly kissed his cheek.

**Author Note: At the end of every chapter I'm going to list the songs therein and their original artists. In this chapter we have...**

**Valerie by The Zutons**

**Also Mentioned is Back to December by Taylor Swift**


	3. The One That Got Away

**Author Note: This chapter has a lot of singing in it as it's about some kind of charity event. Serious St Berry references. Hope you like it. R and R**

**Chapter Three**

**The One That Got Away**

None of them ever figured they'd ever be on the same bill as David Walker. I mean he was the biggest star of the musical theatre world, they were working in completely different genres. Nevertheless, there they were, backstage before the show. Blaine was keeping to his dressing room and hoping that Kurt wasn't there. About three hours before the show, a head popped round Blaine's dressing room door "Mr Anderson? The producer wants all the performers and their guests in the green room, now."

Reluctantly, Blaine made his way down the hall and took a seat between Puck and Santana while Charlie and Carolyn shared an armchair. After a minute or so, David and Kurt walked in, hand in hand. Puck grinned "Kurt! I forgot you were married to David Walker!"

"Noah Puckerman, fancy seeing you here," Kurt grinned, breaking away from David to fling his arms around the ex-jock.

Raising an eyebrow, Santana commented "And what am I? Sebastian."

"Santana!" he winked at her "Still rocking it I see, how's Brittany."

With a shrug, the Latina replied "She's fine, same old Brit."

"Kurt," David swung an arm around the counter-tenor's shoulders "Care to explain?"

Blue eyes, flicking up to his husband, Kurt smiled "I went to school with Puck, Santana and... Blaine."

"And you never mention this," David laughed musically but Blaine kept his eyes on a skittish Kurt "Okay, I _need_ to hear all the fluffy high school stories."

Smiling, Kurt said "Well Puck impregnated my step-brother's girlfriend and slept with Rachel's biological mother."

"And you're still talking to him?" David raised an eyebrow at Puck.

Cocky as ever, Puck flung an arm around Santana's shoulders "We don't hold grudges in the New Directions."

"Get off me Puckerman or I will go all Lima heights adjacent on your ass!" Santana snapped, whipping out her phone and beginning to text again.

Kurt chuckled "Yeah, plus it's not like Finn didn't have Rachel to fall back on. Santana here was Finn's first."

"First?" David frowned "First what?" Kurt gave him a look that said it all and comprehension arrived in David's eyes "_Oh_." Then there was a pause as his eyes rested on Blaine "And you?"

There was an awkward pause as Kurt and Blaine stared at each other but, eventually, Kurt breathed "Blaine was my saviour, the best friend who I never knew I needed." Puck and Santana turned to stare at Blaine, they all knew that Kurt was telling half-truths but they didn't know how Blaine was going to react.

Swallowing, Blaine just nodded "That's right Kurt, remember that time you convinced me to serenade that crush at the gap."

"Oh my god," Kurt forced a laugh "And you got him fired!"

Shakily, Blaine grinned "It was the most embarrassing thing I've ever done, he wasn't even interested in the first place!"

"What did you serenade him with?" David asked, more to Kurt than Blaine.

As he leant forward, Blaine sniggered "When I get you alone, on valentine's day."

"Ooh, ouch," David laughed.

"Okay," the producer stood in the doorway, grinning at his set list "So our running order is as follows... The Misfits, Lana Haili, The Eternal Believers, Kurt Hummel, Sarah West, The Decibels, Rachel Berry, David Walker, Anna Young, Blaine Anderson and then the grand finale. Got it guys? Good, now we've reserved the front row for you guys so when the act before you finishes, you just walk up onto the stage while Joshua, over here, introduces you. We're trying to give the whole thing a kinda casual feel, so don't bother about being perfect. I'll leave you guys to it." And the producer was gone.

After a moment of silence, Blaine turned to Kurt "You're performing?"

"Oh yeah, my Kurt's a man of many talents," David beamed.

Quietly, Blaine replied "I know, I've sung duets with him."

"Oh my god," David said, sounding unbelievably gay "I just have to see those tapes, you two would be so cute." A secret look was exchanged between Kurt and Blaine, as an awkward silence overtook everyone who knew about "Klaine".

Eventually, Puck broke the silence "Didn't he say Rachel was supposed to be here?"

"Why yes he did Noah," Rachel beamed, leaning her head on Jesse's shoulder "Miss me?"

Getting to his feet, Blaine opened his arms to her "How's my Maria?"

"Fine as long as you're the same, Toni," Rachel replied, grinning.

David chuckled "You two did West Side Story?"

"And we totally rocked it!" Blaine grinned, an arm around Rachel's shoulder "Puck and Santana here were Bernardo and Anita."

With a nod, Rachel added "And Kurt was officer Krupkee."

"Do you ever tell me anything Kurt?" David laughed but there was something like bitterness in his cheer. They must have sat there reminiscing forever before they had to go out front to take our places.

First up, the all girl group, the Misfits, performed their number one single, We Won, they were amazing, of course. Then Lana rocked it and they were up.

They all stood with our backs to the audience as Blaine began to sing "_Empty spaces - what are we living for._"  
>"<em>Abandoned places - I guess we know the score<em>," Santana glanced across at Blaine.

Then, the two of them swung round to face the audience, the lights flashing on as they both sung "_On and on, does anybody know what we are looking for_!"

"_Another hero, another mindless crime_," Blaine reached out, spinning Santana under his arm.

She strutted away "_Behind the curtain, in the pantomime_."

"_Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore_," they both sung again, standing at opposite sides of the stage as they all belted "_The show must go on  
>The show must go on<br>Inside my heart is breaking  
>My make-up may be flaking<br>But my smile still stays on_..." It went on like that until the song finished and they bowed before hurrying into the audience to sit down again.

Now it was time for Kurt to perform. He took the mike and started to chat to the audience "Right, so this is a song I wrote for a little musical called the Life and Love of Benjamin Hart but it was cut because we had a plot change. Anyway, I wrote it about my high school sweetheart..." his voice was absorbed by cooing but Blaine's breath caught in his throat. Smiling Kurt continued "I've had to mess with the lyrics a bit because I original wrote it as a girl's song. Anyway, here's The One That Got Away."

Fidgeting in his seat, Blaine met Kurt's eyes as he began to sing "_The middle of high school__ when we first met  
>We'd make out in your Mustang to Radio head<br>And on my 18th Birthday  
>We got matching tattoos.<em>" Subconsciously, Blaine ran his hand over the tattoo on his wrist, mirrored by Kurt "_Used to steal your parents' liquor  
>And climb to the roof<br>Talk about our future_," he took a step back from the edge of the stage, shrugging "_Like we had a clue  
>Never planned that one day<br>I'd be losing you_."

Guilt reared up in Blaine's stomach as he watched the pain in Kurt's eyes "_In another life  
><em>_I would be your guy  
>We'd keep all our promises<br>Be us against the world_," he was dancing now, Blaine couldn't help noticing that Kurt's dancing had improved no end since high school "_In another life  
>I would make you stay<br>So I don't have to say  
>You were the one that got away<em>," he stopped dancing, half-smiling at the audience "_The one that got away  
>I was June and you were my Johnny Cash<em>," he raised his hands so they were clasped as though he was praying "_Never one without the other we made a pact  
>Sometimes when I miss you<br>I put those records on_." Kurt had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand but what did that matter to him, all he was interested in Blaine "_Someone said you had your tattoo removed  
>Saw you downtown singing the Blues<em>," he glanced down at the floor for a moment and then looked up again, at Blaine "_It's time to face the music  
>I'm no longer your muse<br>But in another life  
>I would be your guy<br>We'd keep all our promises_

_Be us against the world_," Kurt spun on the spot, a totally warblers move. Santana grabbed Blaine's hand and he glanced at her. She smiled comfortingly and Blaine realised there were tears in his eyes "_In another life  
>I would make you stay<br>So I don't have to say  
>You were the one that got away<br>The one that got away  
>The o-o-o-o-o-one<em>

_The o-o-o-o-o-one_

_The o-o-o-o-o-one  
>The one that got away,<em>" now Kurt met sang only to Blaine, all the desperation of the last few years mounting in his voice "_All this money can't buy me a time machine  
>It can't replace you with a million rings<br>I shoulda told you what you meant to me  
>'Cause now I paid the price<em>," he ran back into a dance routine, in a way only Kurt could. True pain was in his eyes as he belted out "_In another life  
>I would be your girl<br>We'd keep all our promises  
>Be us against the world<em>," he rushed forward, teetering on the edge of the stage as he reached out to the audience "_In another life  
>I would make you stay<br>So I don't have to say  
>You were the one that got away<em>," Blaine's heart went out to Kurt as he shook his head "_The one that got away  
>The o-o-o-o-o-one<em>

_The o-o-o-o-o-one_

_The o-o-o-o-o-one  
>In another life<em>," Kurt dropped to his knees, as he sang the last part, almost hysterically "_I would make you stay  
>So I don't have to say<br>You were the one that got away_," there was a pause as he relaxed his tense body and looked up to meet Blaine's eyes once again "_The one that got away_."

All at once the studio was engulfed in applause and Blaine was brought out of his world as Santana yanked him to his feet for the standing ovation. Blaine's emotions were in a mess as they churned round inside him. Then he spotted David meet Kurt off the stage and give the counter-tenor a stony look, Blaine's heart turned to ice.

Still though the acts rolled by, until Rachel took the stage she smiled at the audience "This is a song which I have rewritten for the occasion, dedicated to my wonderful husband Jesse. It's called I Can Do Better Than That..." She smiled at the crowd and winked at Puck before beginning "_Finn's girlfriend had a little situation in the middle of sophomore year_

_So her parents chucked her out, quite quickly,_

_There's Quinn Fabrey getting bigger and bigger,_

_I'm thinking what am I doing here,_" she shrugged spinning on the spot "_While Finn's out, trying to be a pretty good father,_

_They had there little cute life,_

_In their little cute town,_

_But there's a complication they never saw,_" Rachel pointed at Puck, grinning "_Puck came along and chucked it all out the door,_

_Just the typical facts,_

_Of our weird old life,_

_In a town on the Jersey Shore,_" stepping back from the front of the stage, she shook her head "_I thought about what I wanted,_

_It wasn't like that at all,_

_Made baby Beth a cute little sweater,_

_Thinking I can do better than that._"

In a very Rachel way, she folded her arms and raised her eyebrows "_In a couple of years got Finn with me,_

_Had all the world to loose,_

_Got a clue,_

_Got a life,_

_And started working a lot harder,_" she nodded decisively "_He loved me but he loved Quinn too,_

_And it was me when he had to choose,_

_I wouldn't leave him alone yet he kept holding me closer,_" smiling, Rachel rolled her eyes, weighing up her options "_And I guess he was sweet,_

_And I guess he was cute,_

_And I guess he was good in bed,_

_I gave up my life for more than a year,_" talking with her hands she did "the head thing" as she sang "_And I'm starting to think, this maybe might work,_

_And as soon as it entered my head,_

_He needed to take some time off,_" she frowned "_Let me focus on my career,_

_He blew me off with a heartfelt letter,_

_I thought I can do better than that._"

Rachel wandered into the audience, making Jesse stand as she sung to him, walking backwards as she lead him to the stage "_You don't need to get a haircut,_

_You don't need to change your shoes,_

_You don't need to like Duran Duran,_

_Just love me,_

_You don't need to put the seat back,_

_You don't need to watch the news,_

_You don't need to learn to tango,_

_You don't have to eat prosciutto,_

_You don't have to change a thing,_

_Just stay with me,_" they finally reached the stage and the couple began to dance together "_I want you and you and nothing but you,_

_Miles and piles of you,_

_Finally I'll have something worthwhile,_

_To think about each morning,_

_You and you and nothing but you,_

_No substitution will do,_

_Nothing but fresh, undiluted and pure,_

_Top of the line and totally mine!_"

Taking a step back, Rachel suddenly looked nervous "_I don't need any lifetime commitments,_

_I don't need to get hitched tonight,_

_I don't want to throw up your walls and defences,_

_I don't mean to put on any pressure,_

_But I know what a thing is right,_" she nodded curtly, with a subtle smile "_And I spend every day reconfiguring my senses,_" she walked up to him with determination written on her face "_When we get to my house, take a look at that town,_

_Take a look at how far I've gone,_

_I will never go back,_

_Never look back any more,_" she took his hands in hers as all that history coursed between them "_And it feels like my life led right to your side,_

_And will keep me there from now on,_

_Think about what you wanted,_

_Think about what could be,_

_Think about how I love you,_" she smiled at him nervously "_Say you'll move in with me,_

_Think of what's great about me and you,_

_Think of the bullshit we've both been through,_

_Think of what's past because we can do better!_" she belted pacing backwards away from him "_We can do better!_

_We can do better than that!_"

At last she rushed up to stand just in front of him "_We can do better than that!_"

Once again applause filled the theatre but Blaine was worried about Kurt, him and David hadn't returned to their seats yet. It didn't matter though, David was up. He grinned "This a little song dedicated to my husband, Kurt, who was on earlier, it's called I Don't Believe You." Turning, Blaine saw a shivering Kurt sit down next to Rachel.

A soulful look in his eyes, David began to sing "_I don't mind it  
>I don't mind at all<br>It's like you're the swing set  
>And I'm the kid that falls<br>It's like the way we fight  
>The times I've cried<br>We come to blows  
>And every night<br>The passion's there  
>So it's got to be right<em>," he looked up at the audience with a sniff "_Right?  
>No I don't believe you<em>," he shook his head, selling it perfectly "_When you say don't come around here no more  
>I won't remind you<br>You said we wouldn't be apart  
>No I don't believe you<br>When you say you don't need me any more  
>So don't pretend to<em>," he frowned but Blaine was only watching Kurt as the man squirmed in his seat "_Not love me at all  
>I don't mind it<br>I still don't mind at all  
>It's like one of those bad dreams<br>__When you can't wake up_," he was shaking but it was fake, Blaine could tell "_It's like you've given up  
>You've had enough<br>But I want more  
>No I won't stop<br>Because I just know  
>You'll come around<br>Right?_" David backed up as if shying away from the memories "_No I don't believe you  
>When you say don't come around here no more<br>I won't remind you  
>You said we wouldn't be apart<br>No I don't believe you  
>When you say you don't need me any more<br>So don't pretend to  
>Not love me at all,<em>" he sighed "_Just don't stand there and watch me fall  
>Because I, because I still don't mind at all<em>," he turned away and then flung his head back, shaking it gently "_It's like the way we fight  
>The times I've cried<br>We come to blows  
>And every night<br>The passions there  
>So it's got to be right,<em>" turning back to the audience, he closed his eyes to stimulate a tear which trickled down his face "_Right?  
>No I don't believe you<br>When you say don't come around here no more  
>I won't remind you<br>You said we wouldn't be apart  
>No I don't believe you<br>When you say you don't need me any more  
>So don't pretend to<br>Not love me at all  
>I don't believe you<em>." The applause roared up and everyone stood to applaud, except for Kurt, who stared at his hands in his lap with tears running down his face. Turned in her seat, Rachel was whispering to him, sympathetically but he was completely unresponsive. Blaine felt a lump form in his throat, he wanted to run to Kurt, like on prom night, but he couldn't because Kurt – his Kurt – was married to someone else.

Squeezing Blaine's hand, Santana whispered in his ear "Last minute song change?"

"I think so," Blaine nodded "This is my last, our last, chance, isn't it?"

With a sigh, Santana smiled comfortingly "I'm afraid so, my romantically retarded friend."

As Anna Young finished, Blaine took a deep breath and made his way to the stage, picking up his guitar along the way. Turning to the audience, he smiled nervously "Tonight, I was supposed to be singing a little song called Nothing but, some unexpected circumstances have led me to make a last minute song change. So this is for... he knows... this is called The Story of Us," Blaine found Kurt's eyes, taking a deep breath as he played the introduction on his guitar "_I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us,  
>How we met and the sparks flew instantly,<em>" just for a second, he closed his eyes, seeing the worst spy of all time "_People would say, "They're the lucky ones."  
>I used to know my place was a spot next to you,<em>" all those times sat in glee club, both at Dalton and McKinley "_Now I'm searching the room for an empty seat,  
>'Cause lately I don't even know what page you're on.<em>"

He remembered Sebastian, deliberately avoiding Kurt's gaze, as he recalled the way that he had never seen how hurt Kurt was every time he even looked at Sebastian "_Oh, a simple complication,  
><em>_Miscommunications lead to fall-out.  
>So many things that I wish you knew,<em>" god Kurt, he thought, I love you so damn much, but he knew the telepathy he needed wasn't there "_So many walls that I can't break through._"

Trying to convey all his emotion through his eyes, Blaine sang "_Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking,  
>And I'm dying to know is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah?<em>" did Kurt just nod? Blaine's breath caught as he sang "_I don't know what to say, since the twist of fate when it all broke down,  
>And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now.<br>Next chapter._"

Frowning, Blaine half-sighed "_How'd we end up this way?  
>See me nervously pulling at my clothes and trying to look busy,<em>" he shook his head "_And you're doing your best to avoid me.  
>I'm starting to think one day I'll tell the story of us,<br>How I was losing my mind when I saw you here,_" Blaine saw Kurt look away guiltily "_But you held your pride like you should've held me._"

Desperate for him to understand, Blaine was close to tears "_Oh, I'm scared to see the ending,  
>Why are we pretending this is nothing?<br>I'd tell you I miss you but I don't know how,  
>I've never heard silence quite this loud.<em>"

"_Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking,_" he bent at the knees, giving it all he had "_And I'm dying to know is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah?  
>I don't know what to say, since the twist of fate when it all broke down,<br>And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now._"

Swallowing, Blaine stopped to breathe "_This is looking like a contest,  
>Of who can act like they care less,<br>But I liked it better when you were on my side,_" he sighed, with another shake of his head as he met Kurt's eyes again "_The battle's in your hands now,  
>But I would lay my armour down<br>If you said you'd rather love than fight,_" Blaine saw Kurt's breath hitch "_So many things that you wished I knew,  
>But the story of us might be ending soon.<em>"

He had built all the hurt and emotion up enough now to belt out the entire last chorus "_Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking,  
>And I'm dying to know is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah?<br>I don't know what to say, since the twist of fate when it all broke down,  
>And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now, now, now!<em>" there were tears in Blaine's eyes now, streaming down his face "_And we're not speaking,  
>And I'm dying to know is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah?<br>I don't know what to say, since the twist of fate 'cause we're going down,  
>And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now,<em>" he gasped and, with one last breath, spoke "_The end._"

**Author Note: At the end of every chapter I'm going to list the songs therein and their original artists. In this chapter we have...**

**The Show Must Go On by Queen**

**The One That Got Away by Katy Perry**

**I Can Do Better Than That from The Last Five Years (heavily altered lyrics)**

**I Don't Believe You by Pink**

**The Story of Us by Taylor Swift**


	4. Nostalgia

**Author Note: This chapter is a lot darker than the previous ones. Hope you like it. R and R.**

**Chapter Four**

**Nostalgia**

Blaine was off the stage before the applause had died down, he wasn't interested in their praise, he just wanted to get sat back down. Before long, Blaine was back in his dressing room, he hadn't managed to talk to Kurt.

Suddenly, the door burst open and David barged in, followed by a distraught Kurt "David please stop this!"

"Steal my man, will you," David ignored his husband and went straight for Blaine, pinning the ex-warbler against a wall.

Trying to pull David off, Kurt was shouting "Don't hurt him, he has nothing to do with this!"

"Kurt is mine, you understand?" David growled, his face close to Blaine's.

Tears running down his face, Kurt tugged at David's arm "Please, David, please, don't."

"What's going on?" Blaine asked, trying not to sound as scared as he felt.

Neither of them answered, Kurt just kept trying to pull David off. Irritably, David smacked Kurt across the face, hard enough to send the boy flying to the ground. Seeing that, Blaine pushed David aside and rushed to him "Kurt!"

"I'm fine Blaine," Kurt got up, his cheek was red but he didn't seem phased at all. Simply, he put himself between Blaine and David, determination in his eyes "David, I just want out, it's nothing to do with Blaine."

Snarling, David approached Kurt "You aren't going anywhere."

"You can't stop me," Kurt replied in soft defiance. Wordlessly, David slapped Kurt again so he stumbled to the side. Then David took Kurt gently by the chin, lifting his head as he kissed him.

As he left, David said "I'll see you at home."

"Okay," Kurt whispered and David nodded in reply, smirking.

"Kurt," Blaine choked out, reaching out for him.

Pulling away, Kurt shook his head "Go away Blaine."

"He's hit you before, hasn't he?" Blaine breathed, Kurt didn't need to answer "Why don't you leave him? Rachel would take you in or... or me... or..."

With a bitter chuckle, Kurt shook his head "You don't understand Blaine."

"Then help me understand," Blaine whispered.

Silently, Kurt moved over to the piano in the corner and began to play a melody, singing "_One day we're just like  
>"Leave It to Beaver."<br>One day it's just a  
>Typical life,<em>" he looked up meeting Blaine's eyes "_And then he's off on  
>A trip to Davy-land:<br>Staring catatonic out the window,  
>Barely even breathing all the while…<em>" Kurt smiled to himself "_And then he'll smile,  
>His eyes light up, and deep within the ground,<br>Without a sound,  
>A moment comes to life,<br>And I'm a part of that._"

Tears running down Kurt's face, he continued "_I'm a part of that.  
>I'm a part of that.<em>

_Next day it's just like  
>It never happened,<em>" he shrugged with a sigh "_We're making dinners,  
>We're making plans.<br>Then he gets on the  
>Mule train to Davy-land:<em>" Kurt rolled his eyes "_Handful after handful of Doritos,  
>Circling the apartment, logging miles…<em>" once again he looked up at Blaine, half-smiling "_And then he smiles,  
>His eyes light up, and how can I complain?<em>" wiping away the tears, he nodded "_Yes, he's insane,  
>And look what he can do,<br>But I'm a part of that.  
>I'm a part of that.<br>I'm a part of that…_"

Closing his eyes, Kurt frowned "_And it's true,  
>He makes me follow in his stride,<br>Instead of side by side,  
>I take his cue.<br>True, but there's no question, there's no doubt –  
>I have to stick it out<em>," he nodded looking up at Blaine again "_And follow through,  
>And when I do –<em>

_Then he smiles,  
>And where else can I go?<br>I just don't know  
>The rules did not apply.<em>"

Stopping his playing, he turned to Blaine, taking his hands and singing solo "_And then he smiles,  
>And nothing else makes sense<br>While he invents  
>The world that's passing by,<br>And I'm a part of that.  
>I'm a part of that.<br>I'm a part of that,  
>Aren't I?<em>" barely resisting descending into hysterics, Kurt took a shaky breath "_I'm a part of that,  
>I'm a part of that.<br>I'm a part of that._"

In tears, Kurt fell into Blaine's arms, gripping onto him for dear life. Biting his lip, Blaine held Kurt close, stroking his hair and trying to be comforting. After a while, Blaine whispered "You can't go back there, at least not tonight."

"Where do you expect me to go," Kurt choked through his tears "I can't go to Rachel's, she just nags at me and where else would I go? Back to Ohio?"

Taking a deep breath, Blaine replied "You can come home with me. I've got a spare room, and I promise I won't nag. Just, get out of there for one night."

"Okay, I'll get some stuff from my dressing room," Kurt climbed out of Blaine's arms.

Blaine opened the front door, if his apartment "Home sweet home."

"I thought you were on tour, why have you got an apartment here?" Kurt asked putting his suitcase down near the door.

Walking through to the kitchen, Blaine smiled "I live in New York when I'm not touring. Coffee?"

"Please," Kurt replied, looking at the posters on the walls and the musical instruments in the corner "Nice place."

With a shrug Blaine poured out the coffee "Thanks, it's not much but, you know."

"No milk," Kurt stopped him, just as he was about to pour the milk into the coffee.

Confused, Blaine frowned "Since when do you like black coffee?"

"Actually I usually substitute milk with tequila," Kurt smiled nervously, taking the coffee "But I'll go without, this time." It made Blaine want to cry, where was his Kurt, innocent little Kurt. Then he realised that Kurt had never really been innocent, by the time Blaine had met him he had already faced so much but, Blaine thought, he had never seen Kurt with so little hope.

Sighing, Blaine passed Kurt his coffee "So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Kurt wandered to the living room and picked up a DVD from the coffee table "Sectionals, in senior year?"

With a nervous smile, Blaine shrugged "I've been feeling nostalgic lately."

"Could we watch it?" Kurt smiled "I miss New Directions, I'm only in touch with Quinn, Finn, Rachel and Mercedes, really." Slightly stunned, Blaine nodded, stumbling forward to put the DVD into the player. As they sat back to watch it, Kurt sighed "Do you ever miss high school, I mean, sure, it was hard sometimes but we didn't really have anything to worry about, did we. We had glee club and... I had you."

"I miss that," Blaine smiled, sadly "I miss us."

Looking up at him, Kurt asked, his breath tickling Blaine's cheek "Why did you leave, Blaine? I loved you, I thought we had something really special, so why did you go?"

"We did have something really special," Blaine turned in his seat to face Kurt "And I don't want you to think for two seconds that I didn't love you. That I didn't make the biggest mistake of my life ten years ago."

His gaze unwavering, Kurt frowned "Then why did you go?"

"You had your career, I had mine," Blaine sighed, looking up at the ceiling "We were never together and I'd never dated anyone else. Then there were the jealous arguments because we never saw each other, there's always a bit of doubt. That, what if he finds someone else. I wanted to explore, I guess. Not that I did explore, no-one was you, Kurt. I found myself constantly looking for you everywhere but you're extraordinary, Kurt. The only one for me."

Groaning, Kurt stood up "Don't say things like that."

"Like what," Blaine asked, completely oblivious. Then the TV blasted out Tina's voice as ABC began, Kurt next to her and them both having the time of their lives. Blaine was there too, dancing in the back mostly. Until Control started.

Shakily, Kurt whispered "We were so happy."

"Damn it, Kurt," Blaine sighed, watching them dance "I don't know what to say."

With a sigh, he turned to Blaine "Do you know what I was like after you left? I was such a mess, ask Rachel or Mercedes. I barely came out of the apartment. It took me a year, I locked myself in a room and wrote the Life and Love of Benjamin Hart. There's a reason it's my best musical, I floated it on so much emotion. I met David because he played Benjamin in the original production. He was supposed to be my rebound guy."

"Why are you telling my this?" Blaine asked nervously.

Tears in his eyes, Kurt cried "I don't know!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Blaine stood, taking Kurt into his arms "You're here to get away from it all, not to dwell on it."

Shaking in his arms, Kurt gripped onto Blaine's shirt "I'm so scared, Blaine."

"He can't hurt you here," Blaine kissed Kurt's hair "I've got you, you're safe."

As he pulled away, he searched Blaine's eyes "I still love you Blaine."

Without answering, Blaine leant down and pressed his lips against Kurt's. Ten years worth of emotion flowed between the two of them and Kurt kissed back. Suddenly they were moving towards the bedroom, it was just the two of them and the rest of the world could go to hell.

**Author Note: At the end of every chapter I'm going to list the songs therein and their original artists. In this chapter we have...**

**A Part of That from The Last Five Years (slightly changed lyrics)**


	5. Scars

**Author Note: I'm getting close to finishing this now. R and R.**

**Chapter Five**

**Scars**

Blaine just lay there, watching Kurt breathe as he slept. In the back of his mind, Blaine knew that they didn't have long, soon Kurt would have to go, have to go back to David. Right now though, he was just revelling in the smell of Kurt, the sight of Kurt, the feel of Kurt, the sound of Kurt's breathing, even the taste of Kurt which still lingered on his lips from the night before. It made Blaine want to scream, the thought of Kurt being anywhere near David, ever again. There was a bruise developing on the counter-tenor's cheek now and, yet, he still looked so peaceful. After a while, Kurt's eyes flickered open. Sighing, Blaine smiled, sadly "Good morning."

"Blaine," Kurt blinked at him, searching his eyes "What did we do last night?"

Of all the possible things Blaine had thought Kurt might say, that was not the one he'd expected "Well Kurt we er..."

"I know what we did," Kurt snapped, sitting up to glance round the room "It was more of a, what have I done and what will David do, sort of thing."

Sitting up too, Blaine searched Kurt's eyes "I'm sorry, I know it's my fault I shouldn't ha..."

Kurt leant forward and silenced him with a kiss. As he pulled away, Kurt whispered "Shut up, I'm an adult, I'm just as responsible as you are."

"I love you," Blaine breathed.

Gently, Kurt lifted a hand to stroke Blaine's cheek "Stop this, Blaine, I have to..." This time it was Blaine's turn to silence Kurt with a kiss.

"You have to let me say what I think," Blaine shook his head "Do what you want, silence me in public but, when it's just you and I, you have to let me say what I feel."

With a sigh, Kurt shuffled away and stood up "I have to get back to David."

"What are you gonna do about that bruise?" asked Blaine grimly.

Stopping short, Kurt checked himself in the mirror and frowned "I think I've got some cover-up in my bag."

"Are you sure you want to go back Kurt?" he squirmed a little "You could stay here with me."

A sad smile graced his lips as he turned back to Blaine "He'd come after us, Blaine and I won't let him hurt you."

"What he's doing is illegal," Blaine pointed out "We could get him locked away."

Kurt's smile faded "You promised you wouldn't nag me Blaine."

"I just hate the idea of him hitting you again," he whispered, looking up at Kurt with puppy dog eyes.

Frowning, Kurt walked back over to Blaine and kissed his forehead "He won't, that was the first time he's hit me in months. He's getting better."

"You're being naive, Kurt," he stroked the counter-tenor's cheek, searching those blue eyes "And you know it."

With a half-smile, he shrugged "Maybe I am, but I love him Blaine."

"What about me?" Blaine sighed, with a shrug.

Winding his fingers in Blaine's curls, Kurt rested his forehead on Blaine's "There are those you love with all your heart and those who you come to love. You're the former, he's the latter."

"I'm here if you need me," he whispered, closing his eyes.

A tear ran down Kurt's face "I know."

"Blaine, you need to get out of this apartment," Santana sighed, leaning on the door frame "For a start, we've got a concert tonight so..."

Rolling his eyes, Blaine scribbled down some notes before glancing up at her "I've got to get this song done."

"Oh, writer's bug, what have we got then?" she nodded, taking the first sheet of music from him and singing "_I can pretend that I don't see you,  
>I can pretend I don't wanna hold you when you're around,<br>__When you're around_." With her hands on her hips, she raised her eyebrows "You, my friend, have serious Kurt issues."

Eyes wide, Blaine replied "No listen, it goes on like this: _I can say that nothing was right,  
>But we know if I looked in your eyes I'd break down,<br>Yeah, let's break down  
>If I could, have just one night, to be with you, and make it right,<br>To what we were, and what we are,  
>It's hidden in the scars,<br>If I could, take you there,  
>I wont let go, this I swear,<br>You won't have to wonder what we are,  
>Cause you wont have to ever look too far,<br>Its in the scars, Its hidden in the scars._ The second verse still needs a lot of work but I'm almost there, it's a hit, I can feel it."

"Blaine, the whole thing screams Kurt," Santana sighed, sitting next to him on the piano stool "Just look at what you've got of the next verse, _If I told you that I love you,  
>But I'm doing all right without you it'd be a lie, But I could try,<br>I'd run 1000 miles, believe me,  
>You're the only one, I want to bring me to break down,<br>Yeah let's break down! _I've seen you two cry together more than kiss, so the over-mentioning of breakdowns is a big give away. Besides that, you'd do anything for him so all the stuff about running a thousand miles is there."

With a sigh Blaine, turned back to his piano "And your point is?"

"I don't want you to get hurt, Blaine," Santana cried "I care, okay, and the kid's married, you see him again once and suddenly you're writing songs, like this!" Pursing his lips, Blaine played some chords, without replying. Eyes widening, she grabbed Blaine's shoulders and turned him round to face her "Shit! Blaine, you're not!"

Awkwardly, he cringed "What?"

"You're sleeping with him!" screamed Santana, storming away "I could kill you right now, I really could."

He sighed, turning back to the piano "I don't see what it is to do with you."

"I'm married Blaine," she shouted "And, every single day, I worry that Brittany might find someone else and that's hard. I like to think that whoever wants to pray on her innocent little mind would be good enough to step back once they found out she was married, but, if you can't even respect that then... I don't know, it's something I feel strongly about."

All that hate for David, coupled with his love for Kurt, made Blaine turn and shout "I love him Santana and I know him better than anyone. David treats him like dirt and it kills me, so, yeah, I'm breaking my own rules, but I'm doing it because Kurt needs this, needs me."

"You really love this guy, don't you?" she breathed, then stepped away "I hope it works out for you, I really do but..."

With a sad smile, he shrugged "You don't think it will."

"Do these sort of things ever?" she sighed, frowning "I won't tell, don't worry. I figure David won't take it too well if he hears it on the grape vine."

Wiping away a tear he didn't realise he'd shed, Blaine sniffed "Thanks."

"What are friends for," Santana headed for the door "Besides, I don't wanna deal with that kinda scandal hitting the Eternal Believers."

Blaine sighed, as the front door opened, he looked up "Hi Kurt."

"Hi," he closed the door gently, leaning back on the door "David's in L.A. for the weekend so..."

Standing, Blaine smiled "Movie weekend, like in high school."

"Exactly," Kurt breathed, shaking his head as he revelled the movies he'd been hiding behind his back.

With a chuckle, he took the DVDs and read the titles "When Harry Met Sally, Carousel and Moulin Rouge... you hate Moulin Rouge."

"I used to hate Moulin Rouge," Kurt corrected, "I never understood why Nicole Kidman didn't just run away with Ewen McGreggor... I understand that now."

Wordlessly, Blaine went to get popcorn as Kurt settled himself on the couch. They had been doing this for a couple of months now, so much so that Kurt had a draw of clothes at Blaine's to save him having to pack. New York being the last stop in their tour, Blaine had a few months to kick back and relax. There was something wrong, Blaine observed, as he waited for the popcorn to pop. Resisting tears, he turned back to Kurt "Take off your make-up Kurt."

"I'm not..."

Blaine shook his head, leaning on the counter "Don't lie to me." As he avoided Blaine's gaze, Kurt took a tissue from his pocket and wiped the cover-up from his cheek, revealing a red mark where David had hit him. Closing his eyes, Blaine let a single tear roll down his cheek.

"Don't cry," Kurt was up in a shot, wiping away the trail of water "It's not as bad as it looks."

Finally, Blaine opened his eyes "I would never do that to you Kurt, never and you know why? Because I. Love. You."

"Blaine, we've been though this," Kurt sighed, turning away from him and walking back across the room "David needs me."

Fending off his anger, Blaine shook his head "That's what Nancy said, and Bill Sykes beat her to death!"

"You're not comparing my life to a Charles Dickens novel," he snorted, flopping down on the sofa. He glanced up at Blaine and began to sing "_As long as he needs me...  
>Oh, yes, he does need me...<em>" Kurt smiled to himself as a tear trickled down his face "_In spite of what you see...  
>...I'm sure that he needs me,<em>" shaking his head he met Blaine's eyes "_Who else would love him still  
>When they've been used so ill?<br>He knows I always will...  
>As long as he needs me.<em>"

Swallowing, he looked up at the ceiling as he rewrote the lyrics in his head "_I need you so much when he's gone,  
>But when he's near me<br>I can't let on..._" Kurt stood and walked up to the counter where Blaine was stood "_...The way I feel inside.  
>The love, I have to hide...<br>The hell! I've got my pride  
>As long as you love me.<em>"

Blaine took Kurt's hands "_He doesn't say the things he should.  
>He acts the way he thinks he should.<em>"

"_But all the same,_" Kurt's tears were coming thick and fast now "_I'll play  
>This game<br>His way!_" squeezing Blaine's hands, Kurt sniffed "_As long as he needs me...  
>I know where I must be.<br>I'll cling on steadfastly...  
>As long as he needs me.<em>"

As he turned away, Kurt released Blaine's hands "_As long as life is long...  
>I'll love you right or wrong,<br>And somehow, I'll be strong...  
>As long as you love me,<em>" he looked back at Blaine over his shoulder "_If you are lonely  
>Then you will know...<br>When someone needs you,  
>You love them so.<em>"

Smiling sadly, Kurt shook his head "_I won't betray his trust...  
><em>_Though you will say I must.  
>I've got to stay true, just<br>As long as he needs me._"

There were tears streaming down Blaine's face, he came round the counter and took Kurt into his arms. For a while, the two of them just stood there, sobbing until the popcorn stopped popping. Then Blaine pressed his lips onto Kurt's before breaking away to grab the popcorn while Kurt put on the DVD.

Halfway through Carousel, Kurt fell asleep on Blaine's shoulder. Quietly, Blaine watched him sleep, playing carelessly with his sandy hair. After awhile, Blaine fell asleep too.

The early morning light streamed through the window as Blaine awoke. Kurt was in the kitchen, phone resting between his cheek and his shoulder as he cooked breakfast. Sighing, Blaine was about to point out that Kurt was brilliant to wake up to when he saw the bruise developing on his cheek and heard the conversation he was having "Yes honey, I miss you too... I'm fine, just cooking breakfast... I don't mind... L.A?... Well I... Right this minute?... Okay, I'll fly out after breakfast... I love you... okay... love you, bye... bye..." Kurt hung up and met Blaine's gaze.

"Fly out?" Blaine repeated.

Anxiously, Kurt went back to cooking "He misses me."

"Are you sure, you could stay, say you couldn't make it or..." Blaine trailed off, Kurt was shaking his head.

With a sad smile, Kurt shrugged "I've got to go."

"At least let me drive you to the airport," he stood to help Kurt with breakfast.

Reaching up to move a dark curl from Blaine's face, Kurt nodded "Okay, let's just eat first."

"Yeah, sure."

In the car, the silence was agonising. Clearing his throat, Blaine said "I'm working on a solo album, it's called Scars."

"Really," Kurt smiled encouragingly "Sing some of it to me."

Frowning slightly, Blaine began "_Yeah I'll tell you all my secrets,  
>All the ones I've kept inside,<br>And Ill give you all the reasons,  
>That you faded from my life,<br>I won't let you go,_

_Baby come here close,_

_I won't let you walk away!_

_If I could,_

_Have just one night,_

_To be with you and make it right,  
>To what we were and what we are,<br>It's hidden in the scars,  
>If I could,<em>

_Take you there,  
>I wont let go,<em>

_This I swear,  
>You wont have to wonder what we are,<br>Cause you wont have to ever look to far,  
>Its in the scars,<em>

_Its hidden in the scars._"

As they parked at the airport, Kurt leant across and kissed Blaine, gripping onto his hair as tears ran down his face. The tear tracks left a purple line where the bruise showed through and Blaine pulled Kurt closer to him, in desperation. Eventually, Kurt pulled away resting his forehead on Blaine's "I love you, so much."

"I know," Blaine replied, trying not to cry himself as Kurt refreshed his make-up and stepped out into the airport. Waving as he rushed through the doors, Kurt disappeared from view.

At his piano, Blaine played snapshots of melodies, trying to work out a tune as he worked through all his conflicting emotions. His phone had been ringing since that morning and he hadn't bothered to answer it, he was too consumed with work to pick up.

Finding he could do no more, Blaine threw his pencil aside and crashed out on the sofa. As he switched on the television, E! News flashed onto the screen. That was when he saw the pictures. There in his car, was clear images of him kissing Kurt with the headline: _Behind Tinted Windows_.

The phone rang again and, this time, Blaine picked up, his tone urgent as he answered "Hello!"

"Blaine, thank god," Rachel whimpered down the phone "David put Kurt in the hospital, they're not sure if he's gonna make it."

**Author Note: At the end of every chapter I'm going to list the songs therein and their original artists. In this chapter we have...**

**Scars by Miley Cyrus**

**As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver (changed lyrics)**


	6. Begin Again

**Author Note: Last chapter, I may write a sequel so keep looking out. I may have Tina's characterisation a bit wrong, so you'll have to forgive me. I love you all – R and R.**

**Chapter Six**

**Begin Again**

Sad songs ringing in his head, Blaine ran through the hospital doors, Puck on his heels. Rushing to the desk, he asked "Where's Kurt Hummel?"

"You're Blaine Anderson," the receptionist looked up at him with wide eyes.

Beside him, Puck rolled his eyes "We're looking for Kurt Hummel, okay, we're flattered by you're fanness but we really don't have time for this right now."

"You're Noah Puckerman," she squeaked, glancing between them both.

Desperation had set in sometime on the plane ride from New York to L.A, now Blaine was just about ready to crash through concrete to get to Kurt. Hopelessly, he banged his head on the desk and Puck patted his back comfortingly.

"Puck!" Tina was walking across reception holding a tray of paper cups "Blaine! Thank god you're here, follow me."

Faster than he had ever moved before, Blaine scrambled after Tina with Puck just behind him. As they walked, Tina explained "Between us we've managed to pay the hospital enough for them to give us a ward to ourselves. Everyone's in there, we've managed to keep the press at bay and the police have been very good about keeping David's arrest low key." Blaine couldn't help being amazed by how casual she was about the whole thing, as though her friends ended up in hospital every other day.

After, what seemed like, an eternity they reached a ward which had been cleared of all beds but one. All around were gathered Rachel, Jesse, Carol, Burt, Quinn, Finn, Santana, Mike, Brittany, Sam and Mercedes. They all looked up, with tearful or dazed faces. At the sight of him, Santana leapt up and marched up to Blaine. Eyes burning, she slapped him across the face "What the hell did you think you were doing? Breaking up a, seemingly, happy marriage will throw everything we've worked for into the gutter! As if we weren't already hampered by our sexuality!"

"Leave me alone Santana," he choked out, the tears beginning to flow again "Just please."

Gently, Brittany pulled Santana away, smiling comfortingly at Blaine "You can rant later, honey."

With a whimper, Rachel burst into hysterics, in Jesse's arms "It's all my fault, I knew, I knew that David was hitting Kurt! I should have done something! Anything! Oh please, Kurt, forgive me."

"I knew too," Mercedes sniffed, gripping onto Sam "I tried to talk him out of it, but that's hard when he's in New York and I'm in Chicago."

Wordlessly, Blaine walked past them all and took Kurt's hand. While the others were wailing their misery, he simply whispered "Please Kurt, please wake up."

"Shut up!" Finn shouted, holding a weeping Quinn "On what universe would Kurt want us to be like this, huh?"

Shaking his head, Burt took Carol's hand "He wouldn't, he'd probably tell us off for being stupid."

"What would Kurt want us to do?" Rachel whimpered.

With a sarcastic chuckle, Mercedes replied "Sing at his bed side."

"Anyone got a guitar?" Blaine asked. A strange look on his face, Puck handed his guitar to Blaine. Clearing his throat, Blaine began to play a song he'd written when he first realised he'd made a mistake in leaving Kurt "_I once had a friend who I loved from my heart  
>But I went on and left her 'fore I'd made a start<br>Now I'm moaning the blues like the rest of the charts  
>Take me back.<em>"

Santana half-smiled, walking over to put a hand on Blaine's shoulder as she harmonised with him "_So I'll cry with a limp  
>Just get by on a limb<br>Till these blue eyes of mine they are closed_."

"_So here's to an old fashioned peck on the cheek  
>And farewell my sweet Northern Rose,<em>" Finn glanced at Rachel as he joined in.

Quietly, Rachel rested her head on Jesse's shoulder and added her harmony "_Give me one last love song  
>To bring you back, bring you back<em>."

Then Mercedes stepped in "_Give me one last video, just dressed in black, dressed in black._"

"_Give him a chorus and that bit at the end,_" all of them were singing now, even Burt and Carol, all their voices combining in a mournful chorus "_Where he wails on and on 'bout the loss of a friend  
>Let him scream loudly 'well this love could mend'<br>Let it die, let it die_." It carried on like that, them all gathered round Kurt's bedside. Eventually, Puck to the guitar and played it while Blaine held Kurt's hand tight. All of them were singing as they crowded there "_Those bloody great ballads we hated at first  
>Well I bought them all, now I'm writing worse<br>Save us from baldness and saving the earth  
>Take me back,<em>" Rachel buried her head into Jesse's chest and Quinn smiled sadly at Finn "_And I'll smile with a limp  
>And I'll love with a limp<br>Till the clouds disappear from above  
>And as the storm moves away all I can say<em>," now Brittany had pulled up a chair and was sat with Santana on her knee "_Is there's a towel on the door for your love_."

Slowly, Mike and Tina were beginning to dance, rocking side to side as they sang. Before long, Burt and Carol were dancing too, while Sam and Mercedes had pulled chairs up, side by side, holding hands as the music continued "_Give me one last love song  
>To bring you back, bring you back<br>Give me one last video, just dressed in black, dressed in black  
>Give him a chorus and that bit at the end<br>Where he wails on and on 'bout the loss of a friend  
>Let him scream loudly 'well this love could mend'<em>," all of their eyes focussed on Kurt, they finished "_Let it die, let it die, let it die._"

As the song finished, Blaine stood up and turned to Rachel "What happened, and Rachel, don't tell me you don't know."

"David saw the pictures," Rachel analysed the tears that were rushing down his already damp face and the expression which was somewhere between misery and fury "Kurt rang me and babbled something about David being so angry and..."

Rachel descended into tears, but Jesse pulled her in and carried on "The phone cut out, it took us some calling around but we got the L.A.P.D. onto it and then... that's really all we know."

Frowning, Blaine bent to press a kiss on Kurt's bruised forehead, then he marched for the door "Santana, take me to the station, I want to visit David."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Puck put his guitar aside, glancing around at the others "Why do you want to see him, anyway?"

Fresh tears of anger in his eyes, Blaine shouted back "Because I want to murder the bastard!" The tears running in hot waves, he dropped to his knees "Because he hurt Kurt... my Kurt..."

"I told you this wasn't good for you," Santana sighed, slipping off Brittany's knee and dropping down in front of him "You're a complete idiot."

There was silence for a moment and then a familiar voice said hoarsely "Yeah but a cute idiot." Everyone looked away from Blaine and to Kurt who was watching them with a weak smile "Honestly, you all come to sit by my bedside and I wake up with none of you noticing."

Grinning, Rachel replied "Well, Blaine can be quite distracting."

"Hands off sister," Kurt sighed, his eyes resting on Blaine "He's mine."

Stunned, Blaine climbed to his feet and stumbled towards Kurt "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," he reached for Blaine's hand "But you're here."

There they were in the court room, Blaine holding onto Kurt's hand tight as they watched the judge. All the evidence had been given and now they were just waiting for the verdict. Blaine barely heard them call "Guilty." He looked across at the strange look on Kurt's face, somewhere between relief and sadness, through the gradually fading bruises. Squeezing Kurt's hand, Blaine pulled the counter-tenor to his feet.

"Kurt!" David's voice echoed across the room "Don't do this to me Kurt!"

Blaine felt Kurt freeze. Slowly, Blaine turned and watched as Kurt shook his head "I loved you David! You drove me away."

"Kurt," Blaine whispered, tugging slightly on his arm "Come on."

Taking a deep breath, Kurt followed Blaine from the room, leaning his head on Blaine's shoulder as they headed out to face the press. Just before the door opened to the flashing cameras, Kurt breathed "I love you."

"Okay so this is a little private concert for you guys," Blaine tuned up his guitar and looked out at his little audience of friends and family "I just want to sing you my new album. This one is for Kurt because, he's had it rough for a while and... I wrote this just after the court case finished so er here goes." Focussing solely on Kurt, Blaine began "_I can't get you out of the sunlight  
>I can't get you out of the rain<br>I can't get you back to that one time  
>Cause you and me are still recovering<br>So let's just, try to cool it down  
>The fighting, this feeling of flames<br>So let's just try to slow it down  
>We crash when we race<em>," he strummed a bit faster as he built up into the chorus singing "_Oh this is not the way that it should end  
>It's the way it should begin<br>It's the way it should begin, again_," with a curt shake of his head he winked at Kurt "_No, I never wanna fall apart,  
>Never wanna break your heart<br>Never wanna let you break my own_," rolling his eyes slightly, Blaine sighed "_Yes, I know we've said a lot of things  
>That we probably didn't mean<br>But it's not too late to take them back  
>So,<em>" smiling with painful desperation he sang "_Before you say you're gonna go...  
>I should probably let you know<br>That I never knew what I had...  
>I never knew what I had...<em>" Behind him, Puck came with a guitar, allowing Blaine to swing his own acoustic onto his back as he made his way into the audience "_See I look for you in the morning  
>Cause that's what my mind always calls<br>And I can't wait to get to the evening  
>Cause that's when I want you the most.<em>"

Smiling, Blaine pulled a blushing Kurt to his feet "_So let's just try to cool it down  
>The fighting, this feeling of flames<br>So let's just try to slow it down  
>We crash when we race<em>," just like he'd done a million times before "_Oh this is not the way that it should end  
>It's the way it should begin<br>It's the way it should begin, again_," slowly, Blaine led Kurt up to the stage "_No, I never wanna fall apart,  
>Never wanna break your heart<br>Never wanna let you break my own  
>Yes, I know we've said a lot of things<br>That we probably didn't mean  
>But it's not too late to take them back<br>__So, before you say you're gonna go...  
>I should probably let you know<br>That I never knew what I had...  
>I never knew what I had...<em>" Puck stopped playing, and Blaine knelt down on one knee singing "_But I know it now...  
>I wish I would've known before<br>How good we were..._" Praying to whoever was up there, he pulled a black velvet box from his pocket "_Or is it too late to come back  
>Or is it's really over,<br>If it's really over..._" Blaine flicked the box open revealing a simple silver band with a sapphire set into it and Puck began playing again "_But this is not the way that it should end  
>It's the way it should begin<br>It's the way it should begin, again..._"

There was a pause while Blaine smiled encouragingly and Kurt looked at him critically. With a shake of his head, Kurt smiled and stuck out his hand, one eyebrow raised. Sliding on the ring, Blaine spun Kurt under his arm singing "_No, I never wanna fall apart,  
>Never wanna break your heart<br>Never wanna let you break my own  
>Yes, I know we've said a lot of things<br>That we probably didn't mean  
>But it's not too late to take them back<br>So, before you say you're gonna go...  
>I should probably let you know<br>That I never knew what I had...  
>I never knew what I had...<br>I never knew what I had...  
>I never knew what I had...<br>I never knew what I had..._"

And so began the album of a lifetime.

**Author Note: Last note to you all, I know that Kurt moves on from David super fast but I like to think there was at least a few months between the court case and the little private concert. I'm also under the impression that Kurt's been trying to escape David for a while now. Anyway I hope you liked it. At the end of every chapter I'm going to list the songs therein and their original artists. In this chapter we have...**

**One Last Love Song by the Beautiful South**

**Begin Again by Colbie Caillat**


End file.
